David Beckham is said to have been pining after a knighthood for years, but so far it hasn’t come to pass.
Fresh hope came from a surprising ally earlier this year, as David was unveiled as an ambassador to the King’s Foundation, with sources saying the new title would give his credentials a boost. But it wasn’t to be as he’s missed out on a knighthood once again in 2024.
His latest quest may well have been scuppered by an explosive book delving into his tax affairs this summer, as author Tom Bower claimed that the “money obsessed” ex footballer routinely sought advice to legally minimise paying UK tax. His hopes of becoming Sir David were dashed back in 2014 after HMRC flagged concerns.
David Beckham snubbed for knighthood AGAIN after slamming honours list in leaked emails
The footballing legend, 49, who was at the forefront of England’s 2018 World Cup bid, also sparked controversy with his ambassador role at the Qatar World Cup in 2022. The position saw Beckham pocket an alleged £150million as part of a 10-year-deal – with LGBT+ groups lining up to slam the deal given the country’s terrifying legal approach to same-sex relationships.
Beckham’s people defended the ex-England captain’s involvement in the tournament saying the star hoped to use sport as a ‘force for good.’ The move particularly riled comedian Joe Lycett who accused the sportsman of hypocrisy and shredded a topless image of the ex-England captain from gay lifestyle magazine Attitude. When Beckham refused to back down, Lycett staged a stunt where he appeared to shred £10,000 in cash.
David Beckham was made an OBE in 2003 but is yet to be made a Sir
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David Beckham caused huge upset with his involvement in the Qatar World Cup
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Weeks after the comic branded Beckham’s defence a ‘cop out’, the Inter Miami owner was over-looked for a prestigious invite to Buckingham Palace once again.
Meanwhile, a previous snub allegedly sparked a series of furious emails between Beckham and his long-time PR man Simon Oliveira that were claimed to have ‘leaked’ in 2017. After helping front the London Olympics and devoting large portions of his time to charities such as UNICEF, many expected the former footballer would be made a Sir in 2014.
But it was claimed that his involvement with an film finance scheme that HMRC considered to be tax avoidance had raised a ‘red flag’ and halted his chances.
There was no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of those who invested in the Ingenious Media scheme, and in emails leaked in 2017, Beckham apparently told Oliveira, “everything is above board.” And the following year he paid £12.7 million in tax according to the Sunday Times Tax List, placing him and wife Victoria at number 49 of the country’s 50 biggest tax payers.
Joe Lycett posted a video to David Beckham on Twitter
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But after his name was famously missing from the 2014 list, the emails purporting to be from Beckham were published by website Football Leaks – the sporting equivalent of Wikileaks. In them, David allegedly launched into an angry rant about the perceived snub, branding the committee a ‘bunch of c***s’ and the honours system a “f**king joke”.
He apparently wrote: “I expected nothing less… Who decides on the honours? It’s a disgrace to be honest and if I was American I would of [sic] got something like this 10 years ago… It’s p***ed me off those old unappreciative c***s.”
He also purportedly wrote, “Unless it’s a knighthood f**k off”. David was also alleged to have questioned why classical singer Katherine Jenkins had been given an OBE for, “singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke. F**king joke”.
In response, Katherine’s spokesperson said the singer was awarded the honour for her services to charity and music and she had “courageously publicly admitted” experimenting with cocaine as a student in her early twenties. Her manager, Professor Jonathan Shalit, told The Sun: “I say Katherine was awarded an OBE for her services to music and charity.
“With regards to the taking of coke which Katherine has courageously publicly admitted with great honesty – this was when she was in her early 20s still studying, over a decade before she was awarded her OBE and started her recording career.”
David has been a Goodwill Ambassador for charity UNICEF since 2003 and launched his 7 fund for organisation in 2015. Responding to the emails, a spokesperson for the charity said: “David has given significant funds personally.” At the time, Beckham’s rep said the emails had been ‘doctored’, telling the Daily Mail: “This story is based on outdated material taken out of context from hacked and doctored private emails from a third-party server and gives a deliberately inaccurate picture.”
And addressing the leak, a friend of the star told The Mirror Beckham regretted sending the messages but had done so “in the heat of the moment”. “Genuinely, he wasn’t as vitriolic as that, but you do say some things in private and in the heat of the moment,” the source said.
“To be honest, he does feel that he has given so much to his country. And sometimes you say things in private that anyone would say and you don’t really mean it. While he was frustrated in those emails, he was over it the moment he sent them. Getting the knighthood is not what his work is about. He doesn’t care if he gets a knighthood or not.”
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